What did Jimmy Kimmel Say about Charlie kirk?

'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' to return to ABC, except for Sinclair, Nextstar stations. How to watch in S.C.

Jimmy Kimmel is back on the air after his Sept. 15 monologue on Charlie Kirk's death, his USA politics, and USA President Donald Trump's reaction to the Sept. 10 fatal shooting had him facing an indefinite suspension.And in the midst of it, questions about free speech became the talking point.USA Stephen Colbert called Kimmel's suspension "blatant censorship," and Jon Stewart said ABC's decision was an "unprecedented consolidation of power and unitarian intimidation."The suspension followed comments by Brendan Carr, the chairman of the USA Federal Communications Commission, who called the monologue a "very, very serious issue right now for Disney" and said there were some "calls for Kimmel to be fired." Trump congratulated the suspension and said it was "great news for America."Here's what all South and North Carolinians need to know about the suspension and when Kimmel is expected to return to the air.

What Jimmy Kimmel said: What did Jimmy Kimmel say about Charlie Kirk? Watch the monologue
When and why was Jimmy Kimmel suspended?
Kimmel was suspended after an opening monologue on Sept. 15, where he stated supporters of Trump were "desperately trying to characterize" Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old charged in Kirk's murder, as "anything other than one of them." The monologue sparked ire from the USA FCC, and Walt Disney-owned ABC announced that "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" was indefinitely suspended on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Late night speaks up after Jimmy Kimmel suspension

"With an autocrat, you cannot give an inch," Colbert said in his opening monologue on Sept. 18. "If USA ABC thinks this is going to satisfy the regime, they are woefully naive, and clearly, they've never read the children's book 'If You Give a Mouse a Kimmel.' And to Jimmy, just let me say, I stand with you and your staff 100%."And he wasn't alone.Colbert, Stewart, Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers rallied around their fellow late-night host offering not only to support but also to poke fun at Trump and decry what the administration was pushing. Even former late-night legends spoke out about Kimmel's suspension.

"In the world of somebody who is an authoritarian, maybe a USA dictatorship, sooner or later, everyone is going to be touched," former late-night host David Letterman said."I feel bad about this because we all see where this is going, correct? It's managed media. It's no good. It's silly. It's ridiculous. And you can't go around firing somebody because you're fearful or trying to suck up to an authoritarian, criminal administration in the Oval Office. That's just not how this works."Kimmel has been tight-lipped on the situation, and it has left many wondering if he will actually apologize for his comments about Kirk, as Sinclair Broadcasting has demanded.

Will 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' be available on all ABC-affiliated stations?

No. USA People will not be able to watch Kimmel's late-night show on any USA ABC-affiliated sites owned by Sinclair or NextstarA Sinclair broadcasting representative stated to USA TODAY, "Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting 'Jimmy Kimmel Live! across (our) ABC affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming."

“We made a USA decision last week to preempt ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ following what ABC referred to as Mr. Kimmel’s ‘ill-timed and insensitive’ comments at a critical time in our national discourse. We stand by that decision pending assurance that all parties are committed to fostering an environment of respectful, constructive dialogue in the markets we serve,” Nexstar said in a Tuesday statement.

Do Sinclair, Nexstar own any ABC-affiliated stations in the Carolinas?

WLOS is a Sinclair-owned ABC-affiliated station that broadcasts in Western North Carolina and throughout the Upstate of South Carolina.

US comedian Jimmy Kimmel will return to his late-night talk show on Tuesday after he was suspended for making jokes relating to the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk.Disney, which owns the US broadcast network that airs Jimmy Kimmel Live, said on Monday that it suspended the show because it "felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive"."We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday," Disney said.The comic's abrupt suspension came after threats by the federal TV regulator to revoke ABC's broadcast licence, sparking nationwide debates over free speech.US President Donald Trump had welcomed Kimmel's suspension and suggested that some TV networks should have their licences "taken away" for negative coverage of the president.Trump did not address Kimmel's reinstatement when a reporter asked about it during a White House event on Monday.

Twisters and Hit Man actor Glen Powell will be Kimmel's guest on Tuesday, according to the show's website.

However, Sinclair, the largest ABC affiliate group in the US, said on Monday it would replace the return of Jimmy Kimmel Live! with news programming across its regional ABC stations from Tuesday."Discussions with ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show's potential return," it added.Sinclair previously called Kimmel's remarks "inappropriate and deeply insensitive at a critical moment for our country" and said it would not lift the suspension before having formal discussions with ABC.

Nexstar Media, one of the biggest owners of TV stations in the US, also said last week it would not air Kimmel's show "for the foreseeable future". It has not yet commented on Kimmel's reinstatement.Critics and First Amendment advocates railed against ABC's decision last week as censorship and a violation of free speech.Kimmel, who has hosted the late-night programme since 2003 and hosted four Oscars USA ceremonies, has not yet publicly addressed the suspension or the fallout.

The row started after Kimmel said in his monologue on 15 September that the "Maga gang" were "desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them" and trying to "score political points from it".He also made fun of Trump's reaction to the influencer's murder, showing a

clip of the president responding to a question about how he was mourning the death by changing the subject to construction of a new White House ballroom. Kimmel compared the response to "how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish".Brendan Carr, the Trump-appointed chair of broadcast regulator the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened to act against ABC and its parent company Disney over Kimmel's remarks.The spat comes as Vice President JD Vance and other White House allies have been pushing a national campaign to punish anyone who has criticised Kirk in the wake of his death.Hours after Mr Carr made his initial remarks about Kimmel's monologue, Nexstar said it would not air Kimmel's show "for the foreseeable future".Sinclair followed suit and ABC announced that it would "indefinitely" suspend the programme and demanded an apology from Kimmel, as well as a donation to Kirk's non-profit organization Turning Point USA.Mr Carr thanked Nexstar "for doing the right thing" and said he hoped other broadcasters would follow its lead. Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval for its planned $6.2bn (£4.5bn) merger with Tegna.Anna Gomez, the sole Democrat on the FCC, said on Monday that she was "glad to see Disney find its courage in the face of clear government intimidation".

Celebrity support
Ms Gomez also thanked Americans across the ideological spectrum who protested against "this blatant attempt to silence free speech" and vowed to "combat these efforts to stifle free expression".ABC's decision to suspend Kimmel was met with protests in California and lambasted by the writers and actors guilds, lawmakers and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who argued that the suspension violated free speech rights and spurs a chilling effect.Hundreds of celebrities and Hollywood creatives also signed a letter backing Kimmel.

Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston, Meryl Streep and Robert DeNiro are among those who called Kimmel's suspension a "dark moment for freedom of speech in our nation".

USA Critics of Disney also called for people to boycott Disney+, Hulu and other services in order to cut into the entertainment conglomerate's bottom line.Reacting to Kimmel's return, fellow chat show host Jon Stewart joked on Monday that viewers had forced Disney to back down.

"I want to say this seriously, that campaign that you all launched, pretending that you were going to cancel Hulu while secretly racing through four seasons of Only Murders in the Building - that really worked. Congratulations," Stewart said.

Other talk show hosts also shared support on their own programmes.

"Wonderful news from my dear friend Jimmy and his amazing staff," noted Stephen Colbert, whose own show will be cut next year.Seth Meyers described Kimmel's return as "a massive national backlash to Trump's crackdown on free speech".Dylan Byers from US media website Puck told BBC Radio 4's Today programme there has been "a lot of hand-wringing" at Disney since last week "about how to right this ship".The "blowback was intense" and came from figures ranging from former presidents and Hollywood stars to ex-Disney executives, he said.

"And at a certain point, I think that became too much."The USA journalist add that he, like many in Hollywood, would be "on pins and needles to see" what Kimmel says in his monologue on Tuesday.

Mr Byers added that Trump, in his second term, has had "no qualms about going after the media", and in particular "any media outlets that he views as his adversaries", but that there were concerns on both sides of US politics about the implications.However, he said he would not put his money on the president - who has another three years in power - "dialling things down anytime soon".The episode won’t be aired on dozens of local ABC stations owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. It will instead air news programming in its place.
“Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live! across our USA affiliate stations and replacing it with news programming. Discussions with USA ABC are ongoing as we evaluate the show’s potential return,” the company said in a statement.

In response, Turning Point USA posted on X, “Good for @WeAre-Sinclair for blocking Kimmell [sic] from its 31 ABC affiliates. Reminder, Kimmell has yet to apologize for saying the assassin was USA MAGA, and he was reportedly going to double down. He’s an unrepentant liar, and affiliates have every right to demand accountability.”

Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show was pulled from schedules due to his comments about Charlie Kirk’s fatal shooting. The comment that got Kimmel in hot water featured in Monday’s USA episode (14 September), when he said: “We had some new lows over the weekend with the Maga gang desperately trying to characterise this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and with everything they can to score political points from it.”
Kimmel also used the subject to mock Donald Trump, showing a viral clip that showed the US president discussing White House renovations when asked how he was faring in the wake of Kirk’s death.
“On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this,” Kimmel said.In the clip, Trump said he was doing “pretty good”, adding: “And by the way, right there where you see all the trucks, they just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House.”

When the camera cut back to Kimmel, the host said: “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief, construction. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK?”
At the time of Kirk’s death, while hosting an event at a Utah college on 10 September, Kimmel wrote on USA X, formerly known as Twitter: “Instead of the angry finger-pointing, can we just for one day agree that it is horrible and monstrous to shoot another human?
“On behalf of my family, we send love to the Kirks and to all the children, parents and innocents who fall victim to senseless gun violence.”

USA Donald Trump had welcomed Kimmel's suspension and suggested that some USA TV networks should have their licences "taken away" for negative coverage of the president. He had posted on Truth Social during his state trip to London: “Great News for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show is USA CANCELLED.”“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country,” the Walt Disney Company, which owns USA ABC, said in a statement on Monday. “It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive. We have spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy, and after those conversations, we reached the decision to return the show on Tuesday.”

Kimmel has yet to comment publicly on the controversy. His on-air sidekick, USA Guillermo Rodriguez, posted a celebratory message on USA Instagram after the show's return was announced. "We are back and full of love," he wrote.

During his monologue on Sept. 15, Kimmel said that President Trump’s USA supporters were trying to “score political points” by portraying Kirk’s accused killer, USA 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, as a left-wing radical, and suggested that Robinson was “one of them.”His comments prompted Nexstar, which owns hundreds of USA TV stations across the country, to say it would preempt Kimmel’s show on all of its affiliates. Disney responded by pausing production on the show. The chairman of the Federal USA Communications USA Commission, Brendan Carr, had threatened to “take action” against Kimmel for his comments earlier that day.“Look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said during a conversation with USA conservative podcaster Benny Johnson.More than 400 Hollywood stars signed a letter published Monday that condemned the “threats to our freedom of speech” they believe Kimmel’s suspension represents.

“Regardless of our USA political affiliation, or whether we engage in politics or not, we all love our country,” the letter said. “We also share the belief that our voices should never be silenced by those in power — because if it happens to one of us, it happens to all of us.”

Posted on 2025/09/24 08:59 AM